Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, May 27, 2023

11

Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 27, 2023 

Awesome “PUMPKIN,” A 
Great Cat!

Just look at this adorable 
boy! He's one of the rare orange 
tabbies that so many 
people love! Born 2014, 
Pumpkin is active, playful, 
sweet, and easily handled. 
He's been lovingly raised, 
but needs a new environment 
where he can just be the only pet. If you bend 
over he will jump on your back and rub against your 
head and purr! Pumpkin loves his toys and his cat trees, too. Other than that, Pumpkin is 
currently healthy, and up to date on his vaccines. Can someone please give this wonderful 
boy a fresh start? See more pix at www.lifelineforpets.org. Contact 626-433-3245 or 
jofd66@yahoo.com. URGENT!


CHRISTOPHER Nyerges [www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com]


COMMENTARY FROM MEMORIAL DAY 1998 -

A Tale About Death

An excerpt from “’Til Death Do Us Part?” a book by Christopher Nyerges, 
available on Kindle, or from www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com.

 

It was Memorial Day 1998, and I had scheduled to conduct a wild food 
outing at Pasadena’s Hahamongna Watershed Park. Since it was Memorial 
Day, my topic for a short discussion at the end of the outing was “death.” 
Hahamongna Park -- formerly called Oak Grove Park -- is the site of one of the Gabrielino 
Indian villages along the Arroyo Seco

 

It was a cool and overcast day as participants for the wild food outing gathered in the parking 
area of the park. Among the half-dozen participants who showed up for the outing 
was Martin Kruse, a bearded, burly bear of a man who looked like he’d be more at home 
in the 19th century. He introduced himself and told me that he’d long wanted to meet me. 
Martin and I chatted as the other outing participants listened, and he told me about his 
work with archery and primitive bow-making. 

 

We walked down in the flat area of the large expanse of the park, where the wet mud had 
hardened, capturing countless animal tracks. Martin told us how to differentiate between 
coyote and dog tracks. He’d obviously done a lot of tracking during his time hunting with 
a bow. 

 

I later learned from Martin’s father that this was a favorite place of Martin’s when he was 
much younger. He’d come here and spend a week or two and study nature and tracks and 
practice with his bow. 

 

After walking throughout the flat area, I led the way back to the oak trees where I would 
share my lesson. Within seconds, someone in the rear called out. Martin had fallen. I first 
thought it was a joke, and ran to him. It was no joke. His face already looked purple. The 
man who had been walking with him said he’d not tripped -- he just fell. I tried to rouse 
him, but it was quickly obvious that he was “out.” 

 

Several of us moved Martin into what we assumed would be a more comfortable position, 
and that wasn’t easy! Martin was a big guy. And then -- since I was the only one who knew 
the area -- I ran to a phone to call 911. This was before the days of ubiquitous cell phones. 
Within 10 minutes, before I even got back to the group and Martin’s flat body -- paramedics 
from the City of Pasadena were on the scene, attempting to revive him. They all worked 
like a highly-coordinated team, speaking among themselves only briefly and in terms we 
didn’t understand. They were what we call a “well-oiled machine.” They carried him into 
the ambulance and took him away. 

 

I could tell that the remainder of the outing participants were in varying degrees of shock. 
It had all been like a dream, and now Martin was gone. We discussed the merits and pitfalls 
of the modern medical system, and whether there was more we could have done to 
help Martin. We discussed whether we thought Martin would revive or not.

 

So there we stood in the cool afternoon breeze, contemplating death in the most sobering 
manner possible. I explained to everyone my death lesson -- which hardly seemed appropriate 
now. I didn’t talk everyone through the intended exercise -- I just explained a 
process that I’d done many times on Memorial Day.

 

Write a list of all those close people in your life. Then, close your eyes, and imagine getting 
a phone call telling you that they have just died. For most people, there are tears and 
a feeling of regret that they never told that person something. You write down all those 
things you wanted to say to that person. Then, since these folks are still alive, you then go 
and call them or write them or see them in person and tell them. This is a very profound 
exercise, and in many ways can be called “healing.” 

 

Each person commented how “coincidental” it was that the lecture topic that I’d chosen 
for the day, and listed on the schedule, was “Death.” We kept reflecting on Martin. At that 
moment, none of us knew yet that Martin would not recover, that he had in fact died, and 
that he died in a place he loved. Nor had we known that Martin had a heart pacer, and an 
artery to his heart that was narrow. We were aware that he’d had surgery -- probably to the 
heart -- because we opened his shirt and saw the scar. 

 

A German woman who’d been on the outing, Walti, told me that we should not feel sad. 

“It was quick,” she told me later. “What better place to die.” I could not help but agree with 
her. Martin’s death was apparently sudden, and his last memory would have been looking 
at the willows and the rushing stream and the cloudy sky and the sand flats of the Hahamongna 
Watershed Park. In his final moments, he was surrounded with friends that he’d 
only met that day, trail compadres who shared a common love of the outdoors, all brought 
together at this time and this place to witness his passing.

Pet of the Week

 
Four-year-old Bubba is an easy-going 
and friendly guy. He is the kind of dog 
who enjoys long, slow walks with lots of 
time to smell the flowers (or anything else 
that catches his nose). He likes playing 
with toys but his favorite thing is receiving 
lots of belly rubs. Bubba clearly has a 
giant heart to go along with his giant head! 
Bubba has gone out with Pasadena Humane’s 
mobile team a few times and has 
been such a good ambassador! He has met 
people of all ages, and as long as they give 
him some scratches or pats, he quickly becomes 
their best friend. He is a master at 
sitting for treats, but he actually prefers sitting 
in your lap and giving kisses. Come 
meet this handsome boy today! The adoption 
fee for dogs is $150. All dog adoptions 
include spay or neuter, microchip, and 
age-appropriate vaccines. New adopters 
will receive a complimentary health-and-
wellness exam from VCA Animal Hospitals, 
as well as 
a goody bag 
filled with 
information 
about 
how to care 
for your pet. 
View photos 
of adoptable 
pets and 
schedule an 
adoption appointment 
at pasadenahumane.
org. 
Adoptions are by appointment only, and 
new adoption appointments are available 
every Sunday and Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. 
Pets may not be available for adoption 
and cannot be held for potential adopters 
by phone calls or email. 

SIERRA MADRE PLAYHOUSE PRESENTS STORIES @THE 
PLAYHOUSE:BEST OF BACKSTO-RY ON JUNE 12

 

A new event for our storytelling series, 
Stories @ The Playhouse, is here! Sierra 
Madre Playhouse presents Best of 
BackStory, an evening of true stories, 
poetry, and flights of fancy featuring 
host Carl Weintraub and stories written 
and told by Augustus Britton, Ra-
shim Cannad, Marlene Nichols, Laurie 
O'Brien, Antonio Sacre, and Sue 
Ann Pien.

 

BackStory, produced by the Victory 
Theatre Center in Burbank, is an evening 
of stories all told around a theatrical 
theme. The theme is always the 
title of a memorable play or mov-ie. 
Writers can focus on the themes of the 
play or movie, the characters, or simply on the words in the title. For Best of BackStory, at 
Sierra Madre Playhouse, we are creating an evening of true stories that have been told at 
BackStory over the past seven years. Each story will be from a different episode of BackStory, 
so it will be an eclectic night for sure.

CONSUMER ADVISORY: some stories may contain strong language and sexual content.

 

ESTIMATED RUNNING TIME: 60 minutes, no intermission.

Covid-19 information: The wearing of face masks is recommended.

Monday, June 12, 2023 at 7 p.m. at Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Boule-vard, 
Sierra Madre, CA 91024. This is just east of Pasadena. Ample free parking is availa-ble in 
lots behind the Playhouse and across the street. There is also some street parking. General 
admission: $20. Seniors (65+) $18. Reservations: (626) 355-4318. Online ticket-ing: http://
sierramadreplayhouse.org

DISCOUNTS: Teen tickets (age 13-19) are available at $5.00 through the TeenTix Pass program. 
Go to our website to learn more. Group discounts are available for groups of ten or 
more. Go to our website to learn more.

 

The Sierra Madre Playhouse, a non-profit organization, is a performing arts center. It has 
widened its range from plays and musicals to also include presentations of classical and popular 
music, films, storytelling, solo shows and dance.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com